


Fool For You

by loubroketheworld



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hope you enjoy, M/M, Smut, Zayn and Louis are best friends, about each other, along with everyone else - Freeform, and themselves, and they learn new things, and they work at the coffee shop, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:10:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3274493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loubroketheworld/pseuds/loubroketheworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I caught Louis and Harry banging on Paul's table."</p><p>"What?!", Zayn honestly couldn't stop himself from shouting even if he had tried.</p><p>"Chill out, dude. Don't need the whole of Manchester to hear", Niall frowned at him which was ridiculous because not a second ago he was nearly shouting that very same thing. "What are you on about?", Zayn spluttered indignantly. There was just some news you couldn't just spring on a guy, alright?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fool For You

 

"Merry Christmas", Zayn wished as the last costumers of the day were leaving Paul's Coffee Shop. As soon as they let the door close behind them and the sound of the chipper door chime Paul had installed was heard from the entrance, his smile completely dropped and he groaned in frustration. He couldn't believe he was stuck with the late shift on a Friday again. And on the night pretty much everyone else were already getting ready to head out to celebrate the last weekend before the holidays, he was stuck closing the register and cleaning the shop all on his own which would take him hours.

"Are you sure you can't stay?", Zayn pleaded with the last member of staff still left in the shop. Harry was taking the rubbish out on his way out, already adorned in his long coat and gloves, his hair peaking messily out of his hat which gave the all round appearance of a sleepy frog. It had been a long day, with a hoard of people either coming in for last minute shopping of breads and pastry goods they sold or taking the opportunity to come in and have coffee with various friends and loved ones before the shop was closed for Christmas.

"Sorry mate", Harry grinned, though almost completely obscured through his beanie and thick wool scarf he was wearing. "I've got a pint with my name on it waiting for me."

"Are you heading to Niall's party?" Zayn intended to go as soon as he managed to get himself out of there. It was one of the best parties of the year, he knew, almost everyone was going. Well, everyone apart from Louis, who already caught a train to spend his birthday and Christmas with his family.

"Nah, think I'm just going to have a quiet one with some mates down the pub." Harry was the sort of guy to have the most random assortment of friends Zayn had ever seen; he was wondering if harry was going to hang around with that pretty older woman he heard he was sometimes seeing or that lanky guy with the freakishly tall hair do.

"No hot dates tonight?"

"Nobody wants me", Harry mock pouted and even through the mess of curls and scarf Zayn could see the dimples of doom crease his cheeks. He was such a charmer, that little git.

"Oh yeah, you're bloody awful at that", Zayn replied sarcastically and turned back to wiping the foam tube on the espresso maker. Harry was a bit notorious in that respect, they all knew that that was one area where he didn't lack any.

"I closed the register for you and the kitchen is all done. You just need to wipe the floor and finish the front. Shouldn't take you too long."

"Thanks mate", Zayn turned to him with a smile. "Merry Christmas."

"You too ", Harry threw over his shoulder as he made his way out.

∞

 

 

By the time Zayn made it out it was well past midnight, but he had hopes that the party at Niall's was still going strong. And as soon as he arrived he realized he had nothing to worry about.

He wasn't even a full minute at the decorated back yard of Niall's rental when he felt a hand slung over his shoulders and a solid body slam into him. "You made it", Niall slurred in his ear and nearly sloshed his entire beer all over Zayn's new shoes in the process.

"Wouldn't miss it. How's it going so far?"

"Good. Everyone having a jolly 'old time, I reckon", Niall cackled for no apparent reason, as you'd expect Niall to do, but a minute later his merry expression was replace by an odd one that came on his face. "I need to tell you a thing", Niall was staring very intently at him and Zayn was starting to feel a bit concerned. "But you can't tell a soul."

"Alright", Zayn hoped he was making the right decision and not getting involved in something only Niall could get him involved in.

"I caught Louis and Harry banging on Paul's table."

"What?!", Zayn honestly couldn't stop himself from shouting even if he had tried.

"Chill out, dude. Don't need the whole of Manchester to hear", Niall frowned at him which was ridiculous because not a second ago he was nearly shouting that very same thing. "What are you on about?", Zayn spluttered indignantly. There was just some news you couldn't just spring on a guy, alright?

"Yeah, yeah. I walked in on them totally getting it on in the boss' office, I'm surprised they didn't break the damn table. Who knew they could be so loud, eh?", he rambled. Zayn's ears went red from the mental images this information was conjuring up in his mind about his best mate, and trust Niall to completely disregard the important facts and go straight for the crude unnecessary details.

"I don't want to hear about that!", Zayn hissed at him. "When was this? And how come you didn't tell me before?"

"Just last week. And I dunno", Niall shrugged. "They asked me not to", he took another swig from what was probably had been his eighth or so beer of the night.

"Good job on that one", Zayn muttered and stalked away from him, not before snatching the half empty cup from Niall's hand, leaving him blinking and confused as to where his booze suddenly disappeared.

Zayn honestly needed to cool down. How the hell does something like that happens without Louis telling him about it? And also, Paul's office?! He writes sales reports in there!

Yeah, he needed another beer after finishing what was left of Niall's. And maybe five more after that.

"How's it going?", he heard a voice behind him as he was rifling through the cold box for his favourite brand.

"Oh, Liam", Zayn turned around and recognized another person he was working with, "all good. You?"

"Same. Happy Holidays", he grinned and took a step forward to give Zayn a hug.

"You too", Zayn awkwardly replied and went back to searching through beer bottles to hide the fact that he was maybe flustered a bit.

Liam was such a nice lad. But Zayn didn't actually had a chance of getting to know him all that well; not like Niall or Perrie, who also worked at the Coffee Shop and frequently shared the same shifts as him. Liam on the other hand, he didn't get to see all that often, he worked most mornings while Zayn tended to ask for the evening shift so he could spend the day at the art studio. And by the off chance that they did share the same working schedule, Liam was stationed in the kitchen along with Harry and Niall, whilst the rest of them worked the front counter and waited the tables. So they didn't really have many opportunities to talk to each other.

This was one. His brain not so helpfully supplied, when Zayn noted that Liam was still hanging around the drinks table, quietly nodding his head to the loud pop music blasting from Niall's speakers. His heart did the little skipping thing it always tended to do around Liam and not for the first time he wished Louis or one of his mates were near, to dissipate some of the nervousness Zayn was feeling. To make his quietness a little less noticeable.

Zayn wasn't good with words. Wasn't good with properly getting his ideas through to other people, that's why he always found himself going back to his art. It was easier, explaining what he was feeling through colour and brush strokes, instead of words and metaphors. That didn't mean he didn't want to try, though. Liam made him want to try.

But before Zayn could think of anything clever to say, someone was already calling Liam's name from the gaggle of girls next to the dancing crowd and Zayn felt a little disappointed with himself that he let the chance slip by. But Liam smiled and waved them off, like he'd catch up with them later and he'd much rather stay standing around with Zayn next to the booze table, for now, whilst they quietly watched the rest of the party, boisterously go by.

It only served to remind Zayn of how lovely Liam was and why he liked him in the first place, turning the little flutter in his heart to a fully developed feeling of warmth seeping from his chest to the rest of his body. He wasn't rushed to say anything, he wasn't judged as boring or not interesting just because he wasn't loud enough. He looked up from where he gaze was stuck on his shoes and Liam gave him a small but genuine smile. It gave Zayn the little confident boost he needed to come out of shell a bit, but the moment he opened his mouth, Liam did the same thing.

"I thought you –"

"How was your – "

"Oh sorry, you go ahead", Zayn stammered in embarrassment.

"No, no. Sorry, you go", Liam also appeared a little flushed, maybe.

"I thought you didn't drink", Zayn blurted. Remembering Harry or one of the lads saying something about that.

"Oh, no I do", Liam chuckled, "just didn't use to, till the lads corrupted me." He lifted a hand, still clutching the beer bottle to indicate the sort of corrupting he was referring to.

Zayn chuckled. Couldn't help but be just a little endeared. "What were you going to say?", he asked, trying to trample the shyness Liam seemed to bring up in him.

"Just – how was your shift?", Liam murmured.

"Good, yeah", Zayn nodded and they both giggled a bit for some unknown reason.

"I'm glad you could come", Liam offered him another bottle after he finished the one he was holding.

"Me too", he replied and couldn't help but think that if Louis was there he'd take the Mickey out of him for the ridiculous blush and the stupid smile adorning his face.

∞

 

 

"I need a Billy bob, Rabbit in a hole and two Strawberry slides please! ", Louis shouted while clunking away at the espresso machine, trying to simultaneously finish an order of double shot espresso and a grand vanilla latte.

"For the hundredth time, no one knows what yer talking about", Niall groaned out through the open window between the front counter area and the kitchen.

Louis only shrugged and carried on with the growing list of drink orders, calling out, "it's not my fault you haven't mastered the lingo yet, I sent you all a memo."

"Yeah, but we don't actually take you seriously, you realise that?", Liam was also leaning through the window so he could scold Louis more directly.

Zayn snickered at their argument from where he was stood, taking orders from a seemingly never ending line of costumers in the front counter.

Louis was just about to throw back at Liam a rather scathing retort, when Paul's voice was heard from the back of the kitchen. "If you don't stop tormenting my cooks, lou, I'll put you on cleaning dishes duties again!"

"Fine", Louis huffed and muttered, "No one knows how to have any fun around here", while slapping the order on the counter in front of Niall and Liam's faces. Liam was immediately back at work but Niall kept smirking at him like he won some kind of bet.

Louis just stuck his tongue out and continued on serving the costumers, smirking to himself when he heard Paul shouting at Niall to get back to work.

∞

 

 

"How did you not tell me?", Zayn squinted at Louis over the swirling smoke of his fag, after cornering him on his cigarette break the first chance he got and getting him to confirm the outrageous rumours he'd heard about him.

As best mates, Zayn considered Louis as the person he told everything to, so it was understandable that he felt a bit indignant that Lou didn't see fit to share the same courtesy.

"Because there's nothing to tell", Louis flicked the ashes off his cigarette with a bit more force than strictly necessary. "Do you tell me every guy you sleep with?"

Zayn thought about the one night stand he accidently had last year with one of their teaching aids and didn't tell Louis because he was so mortified. "No, but it's _Harry_. It's a big deal."

When Zayn and Louis started working at the shop together after graduating college a few months ago, they had encountered a long running staff. Liam had been working there for over a year to get himself through pre-med and Harry knew Paul since before the shop existed. He helped create the bakery at the back of it and when Zayn met him was already in his second year of college even though he was the youngest. Niall joined them last, a few weeks later when Jade left to work at a hair salon and together with Perrie, Eleanor, Stan, Paul and his wife they made quite the team, Zayn thought. It was always fun to go to work, no matter who you happened to share a shift with.

But at the same time, with Louis' second job at the market and Zayn's art studio pressing deadlines they didn't have many opportunities to hang around the lads outside of work hours. In fact, when he thought about it, he hadn't even seen Harry and Louis share a single conversation that wasn't related to work or a polite greeting when they ran across each other since they started working there.

"I didn't know you were mates", Zayn stubbed his cig on the concrete under his feet.

"We're not", Louis shrugged, "do we have to be mates for a shag?"

"Right", Zayn frowned. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Ever since they met something always told Zayn that those two could be good together. "It's just not like that", Louis finished and walked back inside, to finish closing up.

∞

 

 

January brought with it more rain and a slew of exams for the workers who were still at school. So, Louis and Zayn found themselves covering even more shifts than usual.

But after the holiday season was over and folks were getting used to old routines again, business soon slowed down to a typical British Coffee Shop. It was almost deserted after the busier morning crowd.

Similar to one morning a few weeks after New Year's, when Zayn and Louis were on their third round of Go Fish and the shop was essentially empty, apart from old Mr. Richards who always came in for early noon tea and a few secondary school girls who kept giggling and pretending they weren't there to get glimpses of that lovely Harry whenever he travelled from the front of the shop to the back carrying bags of flour and groceries.

So, the shift was quite doll. Until a posh looking woman in her thirties came in, that Zayn vaguely recognized, and stepped up to the register. Louis hopped off the counter where he was playing against Zayn and went over to her.

"Can I help you?", he smiled.

"Just a cappuccino please, and could you tell the kitchen Caroline is here?", she gave him a warm smile in return.

"Sure", Louis lifted an eyebrow. His hands already worked to get her the drink as he called into the kitchen the name of their lady caller. It only took a second before Harry walked out and gave her a hug, sitting next to her on one of the tables to the delight of the giggling girls.

Louis rolled his eyes at the way they perked up at the chance of staring more intently at their idol and was about to return to the game he left with Zayn when another visitor came in.

"Liam!", Zayn greeted, "fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, I just came for some breakfast", he shrugged and made to turn into the back when he stopped and looked at them. "Have you eaten?"

"Oh", Zayn was surprised at the inquiry but quickly recovered. "We didn't have the time. I know it doesn't look it now but the shop was quite busy until now."

"I can imagine. Breakfast rush", Liam grinned as he went into the kitchen and dragged out a few cheeses and meats and started to set up a few plates on the counter. "Would you like to join me?", he asked them.

"I'd love to", was all Zayn said, he felt like he had to physically restrain himself from showing how delighted he truly was at the prospect. But from the look on Louis' face he wasn't actually fooling anyone.

"How 'bout you Louis?", no one could say Liam Payne didn't have any manners.

Louis looked at the two of them settling down to have breakfast together, old Mr. Richards and Harry and Caroline occupying one of the tables in the corner.

"I think I'll get out of here. There's really no need for another waiter on a Tuesday morning", Louis said out loud and threw his apron where Zayn knew he'd have to pick it up later.

"Where are you off to?", Zayn inquired.

"Where the wind takes me", Louis announced and not a minute later they watched him drive off on his rusty old bike. But it was alright, Paul wouldn't fire him. At least Zayn hoped he wouldn't.

**Author's Note:**

> first time posting a story, please tell me your thoughts and opinions. it'll mean a lot <3


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